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DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Avalanche never guessed it would be
so easy against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Apparently, the New Jersey Devils didn't, either.
|  | | Joe Sakic puts his second goal past Martin Brodeur. He later added an assist on Colorado's fourth goal. |
Joe Sakic had two goals and the Avalanche, playing at a speed
and with a flourish the confused Devils couldn't match against
playoff-tested goalie Patrick Roy, blew out New Jersey 5-0 Saturday
night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.
The defending champion Devils, favored going into the series, have two long days before Game 2 on Tuesday night to figure out what went so wrong against the team they outscored 12-4 in a pair of regular-season routs that Roy didn't finish.
At least for one night, Colorado's Western Conference offense
had it all over the Devils, who pushed around Pittsburgh in the
Eastern Conference finals but couldn't catch the Avalanche to wear
them down with the physical toughness and top-line scoring they
relied on in the first three rounds.
"Joe Sakic has been carrying this team since the first game of
the season, and this was no different," Avalanche coach Bob
Hartley said.
Score one for the Avalanche's flash and dash over the Devils'
crash and bash.
"We were very excited before the game, and we prepared
ourselves really well to take the play to them," Sakic said. "If
you let them come to you, they're going to do some damage. But we
also know we saw them play one of their worst games in the playoffs."
Roy, who went more than 11 minutes of a fast-break first period
without seeing a shot but was there to make the big saves when
needed, turned aside 25 shots for his 18th career playoff shutout,
extending his own NHL record.
The Avalanche also kept their perfect record in Stanley Cup
finals games -- they swept Florida in 1996 -- as the 35-year-old Roy
won his ninth consecutive game in the finals, two short of Ken
Dryden's record 11 for Montreal from 1973-78.
Sakic has a league-high 11 playoff goals and also assisted on
Rob Blake's power-play goal in the third period as the Avalanche,
10-0 when they get the first goal, scored first and kept on scoring
against what usually is the most disciplined, mistake-free team in
the league.
"Joe's on fire," Chris Drury said. "When he's playing great like that, we have to give him the puck whenever we can."
The Devils' frustration showed not just on the statistics sheet,
as their A-Line of Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora went
scoreless after combining previously for 22 playoff goals, but in
the penalty box as they drew seven penalties in the third period.
"Joe (Sakic) never got hit the whole night. He could have played with eggs in his pants," Devils coach Larry Robinson said. "We stood around and watched all night. Our big guys didn't play well, and we didn't put out much of an effort. We were outhustled and outworked."
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who grew up with a Roy picture on
his bedroom wall, lost for the first time in six Stanley Cup finals
road games and didn't look going doing so against the NHL's
regular-season champions.
The Avalanche is trying to become the
second team in three years to win the Stanley Cup and the regular
season Presidents' Trophy in the same season, joining Dallas in 1999.
"We are a team that's aggressive, sometimes overly aggressive, and when we get the puck moving and we're skating, we are at our very best," Rob Blake said.
Sakic, the Conn Smythe trophy winner as the playoffs MVP in
1996, beat Brodeur 11:07 into the first period with a wrist shot
from the right circle that scooted between Brodeur's pads,
signaling what kind of night it would be for the Devils, who had
won six of their last seven playoff games.
It also didn't help that forward Randy McKay, one of the Devils' emotional leaders, soon after left the game with a fractured left hand sustained in a neutral zone collision with Ray Bourque.
New Jersey had a chance to make a game of it, but couldn't score
despite getting three of the game's first four power plays,
allowing the Avalanche to keep the pressure on and the pace at
their preferred speed. In doing so, the Avalanche proved they can
be big hitters as well as big scorers.
"There are no excuses," Arnott said. "They are playing extremely well, and they are very aggressive. We were struggling a little bit, gripping our sticks a little too hard."
Drury got the important second goal that really took New Jersey
out of its game, taking rookie Dan Hinote's pass from along the
boards and chipping it past Brodeur for his ninth of the playoffs.
Hinote is the injured Peter Forsberg's replacement on Colorado's
second line.
Sakic, whose first goal was his 12th game-winner in the playoffs
and his second in as many games, made it 3-0 as the teams skated
4-on-4 at 15:06 of the second. He put a move on Scott Stevens in the right circle, skated across the slot and threw a wrister by
Brodeur as the goalie was screened by his own teammate, Petr
Sykora, and Alex Tanguay.
Blake, obtained from Los Angeles just before the trading deadline, was set up by Sakic for his fifth of the playoffs on a power play at 5:36 of the third, and Steven Reinprecht scored late in the game.
"But we know New Jersey is going to adjust, and we're going to have to raise the bar again (in Game 2)," Roy said. "But it's a good win, and it gives us a lot of confidence."
Both the Avalanche and Devils insisted a one-sided game won't decide the series, even if New Jersey used its 7-3 rout of Dallas in Game 1 last year as a springboard to its title.
"If you win 10-0 or 5-0 or 1-0, it doesn't matter. It's one
game," John Madden said.
Dave Reid of the Avalanche said, "If we come out and play a
stinker of a game in Game 2, this will be a waste. It's only one
win, and we can't make it more than that."
Game notes
Roy is 15-6 in Stanley Cup finals games. His teams have won three of the four finals in which he has played. ... New Jersey had been 8-2-2 against Colorado the past six years and was 18-3-1 against
the Western Conference this season. ... New Jersey was 3-0 on the
road against Dallas in last year's finals. ... Colorado outscored
Florida 11-2 at home in the first two games of the 1996 finals. ...
Roy has consecutive shutouts in Stanley Cup finals. He beat Florida
1-0 in Game 4 in 1996.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Colorado Clubhouse
Devils' McKay breaks hand in collision with Bourque
Devils looking for answers after Avs dominate Game 1
Avs find a winning combination in Roy and Sakic
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Milan Hejduk makes a great pass at center ice to Joe Sakic for the first goal of the game.
avi: 1674 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
Chris Drury tips in the pass from Dan Hinote for a 2-0 lead.
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Joe Sakic uses the traffic in front of Martin Brodeur for his second goal of the game.
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Alex Tanguay makes the unselfish play and feeds Rob Blake for the commanding 4-0 lead.
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 Patrick Roy talks with ESPN's Darren Pang after shutting out the Devils in Game 1.
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